Oakland Unite Hosts Grantee Celebration

Oakland Unite hosted an All Grantee Celebration on Thursday, June 25th.

The City of Oakland hosted a grantee celebration to honor Oakland Unite program participants who have demonstrated a commitment to transforming their lives, as well as to celebrate the dedication and hard work of all Oakland Unite grantee service providers over the last ten years of Measure Y. The celebrationwas held on Thursday, June 25th, 2015 from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the West Oakland Senior Center, 1724 Adeline Street, Oakland. Mayor Libby Schaaf presented certificates to program participants that have overcome obstacles and turned their lives around to successfully reach their goals. Oakland Unite grantees and program participants provided entertainment, including a poetry performance by Youth Radio, and a vocal performance by Youth Uprising. In addition to Mayor Libby Schaaf, Councilmember Abel Guillen and Annie Campbell Washington attended the event to show their support.

Over the past ten years of Measure Y violence prevention efforts the residents of Oakland have invested in creating a safer community. “Oakland Unite is leveraging these resources in collaboration with our community, faith-based, school district, and county partners to reach youth and young adults most likely to be involved in violence in Oakland. This important violence prevention and intervention work leads to better outcomes for the these individuals by creating a network of intensive supports and employment opportunities that allow program participants to gain valuable life skills and build positive relationships,” said the Director of the Human Services Department Sara Bedford. “We are thrilled to honor the hard work and commitment of Oakland Unite program participants in successfully transforming their lives and becoming productive members of our community. We are so proud of their work and the work of all of our agencies and partners over the past ten years.”